Reckless Youth
by izumi-chan7475
Summary: May is on the road to putting an end to Team Magma's shenanigans but her plans are soon interrupted by an unexpected attack. Unconscious, she's taken to the Pokemon Center by an unexpected friend, and her day is turned upside down when she wakes up. ORAS universe, slightly HoennChampionShipping oneshot. Let's just say kids these days are getting to be quite the reckless generation.


"Alright, Los! It's time to head for Mt. Pyre. We've got some Magma butts to kick." The young Pokémon trainer called upon her new partner, the blue legend swooping down to scoop up its master on his back. May had just departed the nearby Fortree city and was headed to a maritime mountain to thwart the plans of the villainous Team Magma. Not a lot of people knew exactly what they were up to, but the 15-year-old trainer knew that those Magma grunts were bad news.

May and Latios gained altitude over Fortree's surroinding routes, Mt. Pyre looming in the distance. The trainer stroked the back of her friend's neck, grateful for the generosity of her Pokémon. The two soared over the land routes, getting ever-so close to the wide blue sea of Hoenn.

"Los, we're going to have to land on the beach surrounding-" Just before the trainer could finish her plan of action, a blue flash passed through her peripheral vision and Latios was slammed sideways. Discombobulated by the blow, the Pokémon tumbled over itself into the air, sending May flying off of his back.

"Waah!" May gasped as she was thrown off Latios. "WAAAAAAUUGHH! LATIOS!" The girl shrieked as she fell, her eyes watering as rushing air buffeted her face. Latios was still regaining his senses, far above his freefalling trainer. May cried out as the dusty ground below her grew closer with every passing second. At that moment, she wished she were above water, although that would hurt just as much…

May braced herself for sudden death, her own screams being drowned out by the roar of air whirring past her ears. The last thing she could remember before the impact was being enclosed in warmth and sudden darkness.

_ Why is Latios here? What happened? _The young man cautiously strode over to the unconscious Pokémon. It appeared as if it were curled around something. He carefully nudged Latios's wings out of the way to unfold them, taking extra precaution not to further injure the creature. Stepping back, the man found that Latios was holding, no, protecting… _May?_

Well, she appeared to be the younger trainer, but the girl was out cold. She was sporting a purple bruise on her forehead and looked fairly beat up. He couldn't help but worry about who or what might have been responsible for it, but he had a sinking suspicion that it had to do with the infamous Team Magma.

The trainer stood up and erected his emotional barrier, tempered with figurative, impenetrable steel. He wouldn't let this get to him as it would most people. A Pokéball thrown from his hand released a Skarmory, landing with swift authority at the trainer's side.

"Alright, Skarmory, let's get these two to a Pokémon Center." He muttered emotionlessly as he retrieved Latios's Pokéball from May's bag and withdrew the fallen creature. "I'll make sure we get to the bottom of this." He carefully lifted the small-framed girl into his arms and mounted Skarmory, then commanded the bird to his residential town of Mossdeep City.

May found herself waking up to a blinding, unnatural white light. She opened her eyes groggily and attempted to rub the blurriness out of them. After her vision was clear, the girl realized she was in a room with a crisp tile ceiling, white walls, and no windows. Sitting up, May cringed at the crinkling sound of pristine white bed sheets and the squeak of a metal bed frame. She'd inferred that it was a hospital bed. The room was tiny but seemed larger than it actually was, for the bed was shoved aside in the corner opposite the door. The room was otherwise empty, except for a small bedside table, on which sat a full glass of water and May's bag.

_ How did I end up here?_ She thought, a chill running down her spine. The last thing she could remember was flying on Latios in the direction of… _wait, what was it? Oh, right. Mt. Pyre. What exactly happened? _

Just then, a nurse with familiar pink hair and a white dress opened the door in the opposite corner and entered the room.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy," May asked, her voice cracking a little. She took the glass of water from the table and took a sip, the liquid quenching the dryness in her throat. The girl set the glass back down with a _clink._

"Yes, Miss…?"

"Melbourne. May Melbourne."

"Yes, Miss Melbourne. How may I be of service to you?"

"Well, I… How exactly did I get here? And _why _am I here?"

"Oh. Let's see… a young man brought you here a few hours ago. You were unconscious. He said that he had found you just outside of Fortree city, and it had seemed as if you had fallen out of the sky."

May suddenly recalled the entire event, with Latios being run into and herself falling off her back. How could she have survived that fall? Where was Latios? Who was the 'young man' who had found her?

"Alright. Thank you. But… did you get the person's name who brought me here? May inquired. She wondered if she knew him, or if he knew her… If so, May was sure that it was Brendan. May's great friend always had her back and somehow always happened to be at the right place at the right time. Certainly it had been Brendan… Or was it someone she didn't know? The thought of that just creeped her out.

"No…" Joy replied. She walked towards the table, her heeled shoes clacking on the tile floor. The nurse then took the glass of water and started towards another door to the right of the bed. May hadn't noticed it before. "He never stated his name, but I'm pretty sure he's just outside in the main atrium." Joy opened the door. Before she could leave, May interjected,

"Wait. One last thing. I hate to be a bother, but… where am I? I know this is a Pokémon center , but… what city am I in?"

"This is Mossdeep City, Miss Melbourne. Don't worry; you're not a bother." The nurse exited through the gaping door and shut it behind her. The_plunk _sound of the door slamming shut echoed numbly off the walls of the empty room.

_ Mossdeep City? _May pondered. _I've never even been here before. And… wasn't I just outside of Fortree? Why here? Has Brendan been to this city yet? _An idea surfaced in May's thoughts, but her intense brainstorm induced a throbbing in her head. It didn't help that she wasn't in the best condition… a few bruises, bandages, burns, and the crowning jewel; a purple lump right in the middle of her forehead. However, May's burning curiosity got the best of her. The girl's idea was to sneak out of the room while Nurse Joy was gone to check and see who her captor, er, rescuer, was.

_ Alright, I'm just gonna peek out the door. Nurse Joy won't be gone for long, so I have to make this snappy. _May carefully stepped out of bed, trying achingly hard not to make any noise. She flinched as her bare feet made contact with the ice-cold floor and felt the horrendous draft filter right through the paper-thing hospital gown she wore. Ignoring how uncomfortable she was, the girl crept lightly to the front door with out a sound and carefully cracked it open. She peeked out with one eye but couldn't see anything except for the other nurse stationed at the Center's main counter, May cautiously opened the door a bit wider, but the atrium seemed empty, aside from the counter Joy.

_ Has he left already? _May questioned, exasperated that she had missed him. However, she noticed the steady cadence of continuous footsteps coming from the atrium but still outside her line of vision.

The nurse at the counter spoke. "Are you sure you're alright, Mr. Stone? You've been pacing the floor for hours now. It's nearly dark outside."

_ Wait a minute. _May thought. Her heart began to rattle against her chest at the realization.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Steven replied. "I'm just a bit stressed at the moment, but I'll be fine. I do a lot of pacing… It helps me think."

May's mouth hung open. She was standing half-outside of the room's door, staring at the Champion, eyes wide with shock and surprise.

Steven looked up and immediately noticed May out of his peripheral, eyes sharp as his Skarmory's. He turned to her. "May?"

The girl inhaled sharply through her nose and hopped back into the room, slamming the wooden door. The room echoed once again, sound waves effortlessly bouncing off the bare walls. May turned around to discover the other nurse standing right in front of her.

"Miss Melbourne… you shouldn't be out of bed yet…"

May blinked and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Nurse, but… I feel well enough, so I thought I could-"

"Oh, it's alright. I think you will be fine from here on out. Just be careful with your injuries. Go on and get dressed and gather your belongings- they're on the table right there." Joy motioned to the bedside table. "I will get you ready to sign out." Joy walked around May and exited through the door, still ajar, and closed it behind her.

May walked over to the bed and sat down. _So Steven was the one who found me and brought me here. _She grinned a little then buried her face in the bed's firm pillow. She could feel her nose and cheeks growing hot, sharply contrasting the chilly hospital room.

May had had a crush on Steven for the longest time. When she was 10, she was in awe of the 13 year old who became the Gym Leader of Mossdeep City. Even before she moved to Hoenn, Steven had been all over the interregional news. He was one of her most substantial inspirations to become a great Pokémon trainer, second only to her father. Now, Steven was one of May's closer acquaintances- and the Champion. He'd helped with Team Magma and had given May her mega ring and Sceptilite, which had brought her and her Pokémon even closer together. Most importantly, Steven had taught May how to fly Latios after they had found the creature on Southern Island. May could recall the fond memories of her and Steven soaring over Hoenn, his arms steadying her at the waist, whispering words of encouragement into her ears…

May's thoughts were put on hold as she heard a rigorous knock on her door. She shuffled off the bed in a flash, throwing off the hospital gown and stepping into her own, more comfortable clothes, which had been neatly folded underneath her bag.

"Just a second!" she called. _Man, the nurses here are fast. She's done already? _May zipped up her red jacket and strode across the room until she reached the door and opened it.

"Alright, I'm ready, just let me grab my-" she trailed off as she realized that it wasn't Nurse Joy at the door- it was Steven.

He looked down at her from the 8-inch height difference so he could meet her gaze. "Hello, May, I see you're awake." He smiled a bit.

May smiled back, still a bit nervous. "Yeah, I am… obviously..." A pause. "So, how did you do it?"

Steven raised an eyebrow, sensing May's tsundere tone. "You needn't ask… I assume you know the answer to that already."

May shook her head, looking down. "Well… yes, but I still don't get it."

The Champion looked around before replying, "Here, we can discuss the ordeal but we can't let anyone overhear it. How about you let me in here like a good girl?"

May felt the temperature on her face and neck rise, out of queasiness, anger, and suspicion. "Um, okay then." She let her acquaintance follow her back into the room and he shut the door quietly behind them.

"So, why exactly can't anyone else hear this?" May asked, on guard.

"I don't wanna take any chances," Steven replied coolly. "I'm almost certain that Team Magma is behind all this."

May rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Well how about this? I heard Maxie's got a hold of some mega glasses- y'know, like a mega ring or bracelet, but… glasses. Makes 'em less suspicious."

"Oh, that's… not really surprising." May looked down at her wrist to admire the mega bracelet Steven had gotten her, only to realize that it was missing. She walked over to her bag, set down on the bed, and began to sift through her belongings.

Steven followed and sat down next to her. "Ehe… what are you looking for?"

"Nothing," May replied, the word escaping her lips faster than liquid spilling from a cup. Steven narrowed his eyes.

"Come on, you're obviously looking for something you've misplaced."

_ No dip, Captain Obvious. _May thought bitterly. Her heart began to race and sweat beaded on her forehead as she checked each pocket of her bag only to conclude that the bracelet was gone. _I can't let him know I lost it. He'd kill me. This is really frickin' bad. What if someone else got a hold of it when I was out on the route?_

"No, I'm just… checking to make sure I have everything," May replied. _Well, at least I'm not lying._

"Do you have your bracelet?"

_ Arceus frickin' dammit! _May cursed internally. _How am I gonna dig myself out of this one? _"Um… yeah, I do. Yeah. I have it."

Steven smirked. "Then put it on. I don't understand why you're not wearing it right now."

May cringed. She couldn't take it anymore; he knew. She had to confess.

"Well, I… I'M SORRY STEVEN OH MY GOSH I SCREWED UP I LOST IT! I CAN'T FIND IT IT'S NOT ANYWHERE I LOST IT I'M SO SORRY!" As much as she wanted to suck it up and stay strong, May couldn't. She took a deeo breath and tears began to slide down her face. She put a hand to her forehead in defeat.

"Woah, wait. Calm down, okay?" Steven put ar arm around the girl. "It's alright."

"What?! No, it's not!" May retorted. "You trusted me with it, and I'm-"

"No, May, it's 100% alright. You see, when I came across you back there, you_ were _wearing your mega bracelet-"

"What? I was?" May looked up, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Yes. Just before I brought you here, I took it off, so…" Steven reached into his jacket pocket and produced the elusive device. "I have it right here."

May snatched the bracelet from his hand and fastened it onto her wrist. "Oh, thank-" May looked at Steven with a sour expression. "Hey, wait! Why did you take it?"

Steven put a finger to his lips and looked at May, his steely eyes signaling her to be more quiet. "You don't have to be so loud… Anyway, the nurses here are extremely cautious, and if they would have found that on you…"

"What would they have done?" May asked, her voice at a slightly lower volume.

"Well, let's just say that these mega devices haven't officially gone through with the government yet." Steven looked around, making sure no one else happened to be listening in.

"Wait, so you're saying… this stuff is basically illegal?" May felt an unusual queasiness begin to crawl into her stomach like a hoard of Caterpie.

The older trainer shushed her again. "It sounds far worse when you put it like that, May. Fortunately, manmade mega evolution devices are just unauthorized; there aren't any laws in place banning them altogether. However, as I'd stated before, the nurses here are notably wary. If you had been wearing that bracelet when they had taken your clothing and belongings, it would have been confiscated. You surely would have been questioned, May. The most wanted members of Team Magma are notorious for possessing this technology… I didn't want you to get caught up in all of that."

May sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "Steven, the exposition comes before the climax. Where'd you go to school?"

The silver-haired man laughed cynically. "The events of life are never as straightforward as those of fiction. Your definition of plot is painstakingly textbook."

The younger girl groaned in indignation. "If you ever wrote a book, I don't think even Shakespeare would be able to understand it."

"You'd be surprised," Steven replied as he stood up. The bed frame creaked as the substantial amount of muscle weight was relieved of it. He leaned over to snatch May's bag off the floor from where she had thrown it. Hauling the surprisingly heavy pack over his shoulder, Steven turned to the exasperated girl. "Alright, then. You… we should be heading out."

May show upward, sitting on the bed as stiff as a board. "Latios. What's happened to Latios? And my other Pokémon… where are they?"

Before Steven could reply, one of the nurses entered the room, carrying 6 Pokéballs.

"Miss Melbourne, your Pokémon are all rested up and ready to go. Your Latios required more care than the others, but he is stable. However, I wouldn't recommend flying on him for about a week or so…"

May looked over at Joy and smiled. "Thank you, Nurse Joy." The pink-haired woman, however, was staring disapprovingly at Steven.

"I'm not sure I gave you permission to be in here, young man. I'll have you know that taking part in acts of se-"

"I'm sorry, Nurse, I'll be leaving now," Steven interrupted before she could finish. He handed May her bag and smirked. "I'll meet you outside." The Champion nodded at Joy and exited the room, leaving the door open. May covered her face with a hand, hiding the darkening shade of crimson blossoming on her cheeks.

"Nurse, we're not… we didn't… he's not…"

Joy smiled cautiously. "You keep telling yourself that, dear, and you might fall into the trap of believing everything you say," She paused, looking over the trainer. "Alright, let's get going. I assume you're ready?"

"Yes." May replied, her face cooling slightly despite the nurse's taunting.

The Counter Joy of Mossdeep's Pokémon Center- their location's head honcho, saw off Steven Stone and his accomplice May Melbourne as they left. Although Steven had exited the building minutes before, he had made sure that the younger girl caught up to him before he departed the town. Joy smiled at the thought of Steven, the most powerful trainer in all of Hoenn, taking a less experienced trainer such as May under has wing as a companion, even an apprentice. The nurse returned to her post in the Pokémon Center but soon had her thoughts interrupted by on of the other nurses- the newest addition to her staff, as a matter of fact.

"That young man was quite the… free spirit," The younger Joy said, flustered. "Pacing the floor for almost half the day and inviting himself into that little girl's room. Kids these days!" she paused. "Wait, what was his name again?"

The head Joy laughed under her breath. "That was Steven Stone. He's lived in Mossdeep City for as long as I can remember… In fact, he used to be our gym leader. He's the Hoenn League Champion now, of course."

The other Nurse's mouth took the shape of an 'O'. "That's where I'd heard his name before! Of course… they always talk about him on the radio shows I listen to. He's constantly challenged by other trainers, that is, when he actually shows up to Ever Grande… No challenger is ever good enough to defeat him." She sighed. "I didn't expect him to be such a reckless youth."

The older nurse smiled softly. "He saved that girl, that May Melbourne. He's quite the mysterious one. Although his home is just around the block here in Mossdeep, Steven is rarely around these days, so I don't think you'll have much to… worry about."

"Ah, I know I won't, but I'm not so sure about that Melboune girl."

"Oh, you'd be surprised…"

**A/N: I meant for this to be a oneshot but I realize that I set up too much material that can be continued. If a lot of you really want me to continue, I will, but I already have plans for another, different HoennChampionShipping story that I will be starting soon. It will be a lot longer than this and have many chapters. However, if you want me to add onto this one I might. Just let me know, I guess! ^.^**


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